Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

REVIEW:

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is the latest high-octane chapter in a franchise that has consistently delivered jaw-dropping stunts, globe-trotting espionage, and ever-raising stakes. This time, however, it’s not just the action that’s dialled up, but the ambition. Clocking in at nearly three hours, the film opens with an enormous 30-minute prologue before the title credits even roll. It’s a bold move designed to set the stage for the AI-driven threat known only as “The Entity,” but it demands your full attention—blink and you’ll be playing catch-up. With so many plot threads and returning faces, a rewatch of the previous films (especially the 1996 original) is almost essential.

Henry Czerny’s return as Kittridge is one such callback. Honestly, I’d completely forgotten who he was on my first viewing—it’s been nearly three decades! His presence here ties the story back to its roots in a satisfying way, but if you’re not familiar with the franchise lore, his significance might pass you by. It’s a clever inclusion for die-hard fans, but the filmmakers don’t do much hand-holding for newcomers. That said, Czerny brings the same steely-eyed bureaucratic menace he had back in the day, reminding us just how far Ethan Hunt has come—and how complicated some of his past alliances have become.

On the action front, yes, the film delivers in spades. But here’s where one of my biggest Movie Fan Pet Peeves comes in—overexposure in marketing. The much-hyped motorcycle cliff jump? Shown in trailers, TV spots, and even an entire behind-the-scenes featurette. So, when it finally happens in the film, it lands with a thud instead of a bang. Sure, it’s technically astonishing—Tom Cruise really did that stunt—but there was zero suspense left. I already knew every beat. It’s a shame, because if I’d gone in cold, that moment could’ve been an all-timer.

Thankfully, the new additions to the cast inject some freshness into the story. Hayley Atwell is an instant standout as Grace, a savvy thief who finds herself in way over her head. She’s not a superspy or trained assassin, just quick-witted and resourceful, and that contrast plays beautifully against Cruise’s seasoned Ethan. Then there’s Pom Klementieff, having an absolute blast as the eccentric assassin Paris. Paired with Esai Morales’ Gabriel—who exudes a cold, almost spiritual villainy—the film gains a stylish, offbeat antagonistic force that gives it flavour beyond the usual IMF vs. the world formula.

Vanessa Kirby also returns as the White Widow and, once again, commands attention in every scene she’s in. Her scenes, especially during the Venice sequences, showcase her as a character operating in her own morally grey territory, and while she doesn’t take part in the action sequences, her commanding screen presence ensures she still leaves a strong impression. Speaking of Venice, that narrow alleyway knife fight between Gabriel and Ilsa is a stunner—claustrophobic, vicious, and emotionally charged. It’s one of the film’s most effective scenes and reminds us why this franchise’s action choreography is a cut above most.

That makes it all the more frustrating that the film sidelines Benji and Luther, who are usually core to the emotional backbone of the IMF team. Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames are still present, sure, but they’re relegated to background support. For a series that usually balances tech, heart, and heroics so well, it felt like a missed opportunity to give them more meaningful involvement—especially in a film with such a long runtime.

And then there’s the moment that left me genuinely pissed off: the death of Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust. I get that she reportedly asked to be written out, but it still felt abrupt and underserved. Ilsa was a fan-favourite, a brilliant equal to Ethan in both skill and presence, and her arc deserved better than being dispatched as a plot device. I refuse to believe there wasn’t more story to tell with her. It was an emotional blow that, for me, didn’t land as powerfully as it should have.

The final act, featuring the train sequence and that fantastic callback to the original film as Ethan and Gabriel flatten themselves atop a speeding train to avoid an oncoming tunnel, ends the film on a nostalgic high. It’s thrilling, relentless, and classic Mission: Impossible. Still, calling this Dead Reckoning Part One and then renaming the sequel The Final Reckoning creates a weird continuity issue—especially when all physical copies and the on-screen title cement it as “Part One.” It’s a minor gripe, but one that bothers completionists like myself. This isn’t the strongest entry in the franchise (that title still belongs to Fallout, in my opinion), but it’s a gripping set-up for what could be a monumental conclusion. Roll on The Final Reckoning.